


Macarons

by effervescentwolf



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), F/M, Fluff, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Identity Reveal, It's all fluff, Ladynoir July
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:53:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25168747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/effervescentwolf/pseuds/effervescentwolf
Summary: “You are the view, my lady,” he responded. She chanced a glance at him and felt her heart skip a beat. He was smirking, his messy hair flopping in his vividly green eyes. She quickly looked away and feigned indifference, knowing those eyes of his could see very well in the dark. She couldn’t afford to blush when he was so close to her, able to see every change in her face.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 8
Kudos: 124





	1. Chat and Adrien

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written fanfiction in two years so this is kind of a mess and this is my first time on the archive, but what else is there to do in quarantine? And these two are my favorite to write so here we are. Hope you enjoy!

“You look beautiful tonight, Ladybug,” Chat flirted, lounging on the edge of the roof. He grinned widely at her. Ladybug rolled her eyes.

“Someone’s in a flirty mood tonight,” she commented calmly. She ignored him batting his eyes at her and looked out at Paris. “Look at the view, chaton,” Ladybug said.

“You are the view, my lady,” he responded. She chanced a glance at him and felt her heart skip a beat. He was smirking, his messy hair flopping in his vividly green eyes. She quickly looked away and feigned indifference, knowing those eyes of his could see very well in the dark. She couldn’t afford to blush when he was so close to her, able to see every change in her face.

Ladybug stretched and got up, ignoring his eyes on her. “It’s late,” she said. He pouted. She laughed.

“Come on, stay a little longer,” he begged her, getting up and grabbing her hand.

“I wish, but I have homework I need to finish,” Ladybug sighed. It was already much later than she had expected patrol to go, probably past midnight. They had walked around Paris for a few hours, playing games and being silly. Chat had been more flirty than usual tonight… not that she minded, but it had been hard for her to control the blush that wanted to rise to her face.

“Homework? Paw-lease, who cares about school?” he scoffed sarcastically. He was still holding her hand. She knew she should pull her hand out of his grasp, but it was a nice feeling and he was still looking at her like she was his whole world.

“I’ll see you later for patrol, kitty.” She smiled at him and his smirk returned. God, that smirk. She shouldn’t like it as much as she did, but it made her breathless. A few years had done amazing things to Chat Noir. His hair was longer and messier than ever, his smirk was more natural and alluring, and years of akumas had allowed him to fill out with muscles which were _very_ apparent in his skintight suit. After years of hopeless pining for a boy that didn’t like her, Ladybug finally moved on. Despite her efforts not to look at Chat, she couldn’t help it. He was always there for her, always flirting, but also being serious and listening to her when she had a bad day.

“Don’t be late, Bugaboo,” he said, pressing his lips against her knuckles. How she wished she wasn’t in the suit so she could feel his lips on her skin. “I’ll be missing you until then.”

“Oh, will you?” she chuckled. He pretended to be offended and held a hand to his chest in mock surprise.

“Doubting me?” he accused jokingly. He let go of her hand to turn around and sigh dramatically. “To me, my Lady, you are the moon. So beautiful that one can’t look away.” She groaned.

“Please stop.” She hoped he couldn’t hear the smile in her voice.

“And when one doesn’t see the moon,” he continued, “one misses her immensely.”

“Bye, chaton,” Ladybug said and Chat whipped around. Without thinking, she stepped forward and pressed her lips briefly against his. He froze. She stepped away to admire him for one last second, his cheeks red, the smirk long gone, his eyes on her, his claws gently brushing against his own lips where hers had been only a few seconds earlier. And then she was gone, running home as the reality of what she did fully hit her.

* * *

Marinette sat down and started to take her things out of her bag. “Dude!” Nino whisper-shouted. Marinette and Alya both looked up to see Adrien blushing.

“What happened?” Alya immediately asked. Adrien rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

“His mystery girl kissed him last night!” Nino exclaimed.

“No way!” Alya said.

“Adrien, that’s great!” Marinette said at the same time. She completely meant it. Adrien had become one of her closest friends over time, and while the thought of another girl would have made her upset in the past, now she only wanted him to be happy. He never said much about the girl that he liked, but he occasionally talked about her to Marinette and how much he liked this mystery girl, as Nino, Alya, and Marinette called her.

Adrien smiled nervously at them. “It’s not a big deal.” He shrugged, his ears pink.

“What do you mean? Of course it’s a big deal! This is the girl you’ve been crushing on for years isn’t it?” Alya pressed.

“Of course it is,” replied Nino. “This is huge, dude!”

“Leave him alone, you two,” Marinette interrupted. Adrien shot her a grateful smile.

“So is it official?” Alya asked eagerly, ignoring Marinette.

“Er…” Adrien hesitated. “Well she kind of ran away after kissing me so we didn’t exactly get to talk.” As Alya and Nino groaned, Marinette was reminded of last night except they were in completely different circumstances. Adrien was talking about a normal girl with whom he could have a normal relationship. Last night was complicated for Ladybug. She had entertained the idea of the two of them, but she knew that they could never have a real relationship without revealing each other’s identities and that was too risky with Hawkmoth still out there. She knew her silly cat too well; he would want to know who she was.

“Marinette!” Alya said, shaking Marinette out of her thoughts. “Phew. I thought we lost you there.”

“Sorry, just zoned out,” Marinette said sheepishly. She opened her notebook just as a scream rang out from outside.

“An akuma!” Alya yelled and sprinted off, her phone already in her hand. Nino immediately ran after her yelling at her to wait. Most students immediately ducked under their desks. Marinette knew she needed to get somewhere to transform. How to get away from Adrien?

“I have to go after Alya!” Marinette insisted, turning to Adrien.

“I’ll come with you,” Adrien said. Marinette suppressed a groan, figuring it would be easier to shake him off outside. They ran into the hall together. Marinette caught sight of Alya and Nino leaving the school.

“Okaaaay,” Marinette quickly scanned her surroundings. “Maybe I’ll hide in that closet. Oh no! It looks like only one person can fit in there.” Even as she said it, she knew how ridiculous it sounded. The closet was more than large enough for one person. To her surprise though, Adrien nodded.

“You go in there and I’ll find another place,” he called back to her, already running down the hall. Marinette jumped into the closet and transformed. She slowly opened the door, looking around to see if there was anyone around. Thankfully, the hall was empty and she quickly stepped out. The akuma was outside, but she should make sure Adrien had found a place. Ladybug debated for a second before deciding that checking on Adrien would only take a second before she jumped outside. She ran in the direction he was heading.

Maybe the locker room? She opened the door just as she heard, “Plagg, claws out!” To her horror, she and Adrien made eye contact just as he transformed in front of her eyes and then Chat Noir was standing in front of her, her own shock mirrored in his face.

“Lady-ladybug, I-um, listen…” he stuttered. Her brain wasn’t working. But there wasn’t time for that now.

“Later,” she said firmly, pulling herself together. There was an akuma to deal with. “Come on,” she ordered, barely looking at him. He silently followed her.

They had never defeated an akuma so fast. Every move was with precision and without distraction. Chat didn’t flirt at all. They only exchanged a few words about strategies and what to do next. Ladybug supposed she should be happy that the fight was so short, but she missed Chat’s, Adrien’s, flirting.

After restoring everything and making sure the victim was okay, she jumped up to the roof where Chat was waiting for her. He looked nervous, holding his tail in his hands, his ears drooping.

“I’m really sorry, Ladybug. I should’ve been more careful and-”

“Chat,” she interrupted him. She sighed. “It’s not your fault.” Her earrings beeped. She ignored it. “Let’s talk later, okay?” He looked crestfallen. “Only because I’m about to detransform, kitty,” she said gently. He relaxed upon hearing the pet name and nodded, his green eyes still trained on her. “Go on.” He went first in the direction of school and she waited for a second, not wanting him to realize she was going there too. She only made it a few blocks before landing in an alley and immediately detransforming.

“Here.” She opened her purse to let her tired kwami in. “Tikki, what should I do?” Marinette whispered. “Do you think…” She was scared by the thought of a certain white cat. Tikki seemed to read her thoughts.

“Wouldn’t Bunnyx already be here if something happened?” Tikki asked. Marinette considered this for a second.

“I suppose that’s true.” Marinette wished she could just go home and flop on her bed. “Alya and Nino will be worried about me if I don’t get back soon.” And Adrien. She closed her purse and ran towards school.

“Marinette! Where’d you go, girl?” Alya exclaimed as Marinette came running up. Nino let out a sigh of relief at the sight of her. Adrien offered a distracted smile and her heart thumped. _Later. I’ll deal with it later,_ she told herself.

“I’m sorry!” Marinette said, turning back to Alya. “I was hiding in a closet, but then I was worried about you so I tried to run outside, but I couldn’t find you and the akuma almost found me so I ran away from the school.” Alya gave her a tight hug.

“I’m just glad you’re okay. I got footage of the fight today, but…” Alya said as she pulled out her phone. “I don’t think I’m going to post it.”

“Why not?” Adrien, Nino, and Marinette exclaimed at the same time. Alya posted almost everything she had and she never missed a fight.

“Ladybug and Chat Noir seemed kind of weird,” Alya said, frowning. “They barely looked at each other.” She pulled up a video and Marinette was struck by just how cold she and Chat seemed. She couldn’t help but glance at Adrien. He was looking at the video with an unhappy expression. Marinette looked back at Alya and by the time she glanced back at Adrien, he looked composed again. “There was something wrong with them today,” Alya continued. “They’re supposed to be inspirational, the perfect duo, but this footage seems like the exact opposite of that.” She shrugged. “There’s more than enough footage out there anyway.”

“Babe?” Nino asked Alya. “You’re awesome.” Alya laughed at that.

“I just hope they’re okay,” Alya said. Marinette hoped so too.

* * *

Chat’s ears pricked up as she landed on the roof behind him.

“Are you disappointed?” he asked softly.

“I could never be disappointed by you,” Ladybug replied and sat next to him, her legs dangling off the roof. She hated that she could clearly see Adrien now when Chat was upset. His eyes were the same, his hair messier, but she could imagine it combed neatly. She mentally traced the profile of his face, a face that she had examined for years on posters in her room. The expression on his face was wistful, apologetic. It was the same look he had when his father wouldn’t let him go somewhere or when he had to cancel plans. It was also the same look he had when he talked about his mystery girl, _her._

“Chat, look at me,” she said. He couldn’t seem to lift his head. She reached over and ruffled his hair. “Adrien.” He looked at her then. She gently lifted one of his drooping ears. “It’s okay.”

“You’re my best friend,” he said. He drew in a ragged breath. “I was so worried all day.”

“I know.” She probably shouldn’t have said that.

“You have no idea.” He chuckled.

“Actually I do.” She definitely shouldn’t have said that. He looked at her oddly. She should cover herself. “I know you outside the mask. As my civilian self.” He gaped at her. She couldn’t quite believe herself, but she felt very calm. It had been years of hiding their identities and as soon as she found out who Chat was, she threw caution to the wind. “I probably shouldn’t tell you that. Oh well.” She shrugged.

“Are you feeling okay?” Chat looked alarmed. She laughed at the expression on his face. But she was okay. She had been so shocked during the akuma attack, but by the end of the school day she had come to terms with everything. She spent most of her time after school talking to Tikki, working out possibilities, checking which rules she should maintain, trying to figure out what she should do with him. They had decided between them that it was an accident and the timeline was still intact so there was no harm done. Tikki had said Ladybug probably shouldn’t reveal who she was, but that it probably wouldn’t be long before Chat figured things out. Ladybug figured she might as well give him a few hints to help him along. After all, there was no one she trusted more than him.

“I feel great. Honestly I can’t believe I didn’t figure it out earlier. Your eyes especially,” Ladybug said. Chat hesitantly smiled.

“My lady, are we going to talk about…” He didn’t have to finish his sentence. She finally felt nervous. The kiss.

“You’re not flirting with me.” She was deflecting, she knew that he knew, but he played along.

“Let’s have a chat, purrrretty princess,” he said lazily, his smirk returning. She almost laughed at the nickname. _How ironic._

“Why of course, my sweet kitten,” she returned and he flushed. “You’re too easy to tease. I flirt once and you turn completely red.” She poked his cheek.

“Stop,” he whined, hiding his face.

“But in all seriousness,” Ladybug said, “I want you to figure out who I am first. Then we’ll talk.”

“Are you sure?” he asked nervously. “What if Hawkmoth finds out?” He rubbed the back of his neck and Ladybug couldn’t help but see Adrien again in that moment. How had she been so blind?

“I trust you,” she replied. “Us against the world, right?”

“Us against the world,” he repeated softly, his eyes shining. She had the overwhelming urge to kiss him again, but she restrained herself.

“Do you want a hint?” she asked.

“No,” he said immediately. “I want to try on my own first.”

“If you need a hint, I’ll make sure to be vague.”

“I love you.” The words slipped off his tongue so easily that it made her heart flutter.

“Silly cat.”


	2. Marinette and Ladybug

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh god,” Adrien gasped. Ladybug was grinning. “You.” He pointed at her. “You’re in my room.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just so soft for these two. Also I forgot to mention that I basically didn't write Chloe at all because I wanted to focus on Adrien and Marinette.

“She loves me, Plagg,” Adrien sighed, laying back on his bed. “And she wants me to know who she is.”

“I wasn’t aware,” Plagg replied drily. “It’s not like you’ve been repeating the same thing since we got back.” Adrien ignored him.

“Where should I start?” Adrien asked. “She said she saw me yesterday.” He paused. “You don’t think she goes to my school?” he said slowly. Plagg responded by taking a large bite of cheese. Adrien looked at him with narrowed eyes. “You know who she is, right?”

Plagg swallowed his mouthful and said, “I’m not helping you kid. Ladybug’s already offered to give you hints. And you’re the one who said he wanted to figure it out himself.”

“You’re no help,” Adrien grumbled, but really his heart was pounding out of his chest. He had dreamed of her kissing him, of finding out who she really was, but he had never imagined that it would happen this soon. True, Ladybug had said they would talk after he figured it out, but he knew what her answer was going to be. If she wanted to say no, she would’ve done so.

“Adrien!” Natalie knocked at his door.

“Coming!” Adrien jumped up. He was so jittery he could barely eat breakfast. The ride to school was too long, and it was only once he was sitting at his desk that he took a moment to relax and look around.

“What’s up, dude?” Nino asked, noticing his restlessness. With a teasing grin, Nino asked, “Mystery girl?” Alya whipped around at the speed of light.

“Are you two official?” Alya immediately fired. Alya? No way. Ladybug would never run a blog dedicated to her own job. And anyway, Alya was dating Nino. Adrien knew his lady loved him.

“Alya, give him a second to breathe. He just walked in,” Marinette interjected. Adrien took a breath.

“Yeah. We’re official.” Adrien felt Plagg move in his bag. Okay, so maybe that wasn’t exactly the truth. But it soon would be.

“That’s awesome, Adrien,” Marinette said, smiling at him. He smiled back at her, considering her and Ladybug. They were kind of similar? But Marinette hadn’t reacted when he said that they were official. His Ladybug would’ve scoffed or given him a look. But maybe she wouldn’t because she knew who he was? Ugh, this was confusing.

School passed in a blur as he looked at every girl out of the corner of his eye. Nino kept grinning at him. Adrien sighed as the end of the day came around. He had no idea. He paid attention in fencing and his shoot, but nothing. He trudged up the stairs to his room, discouraged. Absently closing the door behind him, he pulled his backpack off and tossed it on his bed. Right next to a beautiful lady clad in a spotted suit.

“Oh god,” Adrien gasped. Ladybug was grinning. “You.” He pointed at her. “You’re in my room.”

“Why yes. Yes I am,” she replied smugly. He felt his face flush. In his room, he felt very Adrien and less Chat Noir. Ladybug sitting in his room was a collision of the two lives he lived. He had never, as Adrien, untransformed, acted like Chat did. But he wanted to.

“My lady, entering an innocent civilian’s room uninvited is quite scandalous even for you,” he responded. That was much easier than he thought it would be. Chat was a side of him that he kept hidden because of his image, but it was as natural to him as breathing. “Although, this cat is quite pawsitive that his lady missed him terribly. That must be why she came to visit her purrtner.” He smirked at her and she rolled her eyes.

“Your puns are as terrible as always,” she said.

“Meowch. You wound me, sweet bug.”

“Are you done being an insufferable fool?” Plagg asked, unimpressed. Adrien shot him a dirty look. Ladybug laughed.

“Hi, Plagg,” she chuckled.

“Hello and goodbye, Ladybug.” Plagg zoomed off to munch his cheese.

“I’m sorry about him.”

“Don’t be. I like Plagg.” She was teasing him; he could tell by the twinkle in her eyes. He pouted. “Come here.” He obediently went and sat next to her on his bed. He ignored the thump of his heart in his chest. “I came because I thought you might need a hint. You seemed pretty clueless today.”

“Ah,” Adrien said, embarrassed. Ladybug smiled and gently brushed a stray strand of hair out of his eyes. How he wished it wasn’t her gloved hand but her real hand. He grabbed it and kissed her knuckles, satisfied at the pink in her cheeks.

“Adrien,” she said and paused, closing her eyes. He waited for her to go on. “Sorry,” she said shyly, “I just like saying your name.” Adrien stopped breathing. He shouldn’t be so affected by her saying something as simple as that, but here he was, unable to tear his eyes away from her. “Still want that hint?”

It took him a second to fully register what she said, but he nodded. “I don’t want it to be too obvious.”

“Don’t worry, it won’t be.” She was still holding his hand. “Macarons.”

He blinked. “That’s my hint?”

“Yup.” She stood up and walked toward his window. She turned back briefly. “Good luck, minou.” And then she was gone.

* * *

Did that mean she liked them? Maybe she had some sort of accessory? Adrien had never realized how many macarons he saw in one day. Rose had macarons on her bracelet, Sabrina had macaron earrings, and he saw Juleka eating a macaron at lunch.

“Are you okay, Adrien?” Marinette asked, walking up to him at the end of the day. “You seem kind of frustrated.”

“Me?” He let out a small laugh, relaxing his face. “It’s nothing.”

Marinette looked at him for a second and then shrugged, turning around to leave. “Okay. Just call me if you need to.”

“Actually.” She looked back. “Can you help me?” Logically, Adrien knew he probably shouldn’t be asking her for help. After all, how was he supposed to explain it? The love of my life, Ladybug, yes that Ladybug, gave me a hint to find out her secret identity, which by the way I can’t tell you. Oh and did I mention that I’m Chat Noir?

“Sure. Do you want to come back to my house? If you’re free?” Marinette asked.

“I am.” For once, Adrien had an afternoon free. Marinette led the way, and they chatted about school drama and video games on the way.

“I’m home!” Marinette called as they walked into the back, Marinette’s dad popping up from behind a counter. “And I brought Adrien with me. Would it be okay if I brought some macarons up for us to snack on?” Macarons. Adrien made a face at the mention of macarons, and Marinette misinterpreted it. “Do you want something else?”

“What? No! Ugh.” He was a mess. He quickly schooled his expression. “Macarons sound great.” Marinette must think he was acting so weird. “Oh, and maybe some cheese?” he said quickly, remembering Plagg.

“Ummm, does Camembert work?” Marinette asked, already grabbing some. Adrien froze. “That’s perfect,” he said calmly, but he looked at her closely. That couldn’t be a coincidence, could it? “That’s all the cheese we have left over right now. I’m going to go with my dad and get some more tomorrow,” she said, carrying the small platter up. Adrien followed her, his mind in a daze. Macarons. Camembert. She lived at a bakery so it wasn’t that unusual. But considering the hint Ladybug had given him yesterday, that couldn’t just be chance? Or was it?

“So what did you want to talk about?” Marinette asked, motioning for him to sit down. He tried to think quickly. If Marinette was Ladybug, holy- But if Marinette wasn’t Ladybug, then he’d essentially be revealing himself as Chat Noir. And how did he even explain this without giving himself away? Was there a way he could draw her out?

“Is there anyone you like?” Smooth, Agreste. He was an idiot. She looked surprised. He mentally facepalmed himself and opened his mouth to apologize.

“Actually yes.” She tilted her head. “Is this about mystery girl?”

“What’s he like?” Adrien asked, ignoring the question. She gave him a knowing look, but answered anyway. “Awesome. Really nice, funny, handsome.” That was so vague. Adrien suppressed a groan.

“What do you like most about him?” Adrien asked casually, trying not to seem suspicious.

“I like that he’s always got my back. If I ever feel down or I need someone to talk to, he’s there for me.” Marinette smiled to herself, her eyes soft. “He recently told me something more personal about him, and it just made me like him more.”

“Have I ever told you I’ve always wanted a cat?” Time to try a different tactic.

“I don’t think so. I love cats though.”

“I’d want to name him Plagg.” He watched her for any change of expression, leaning slightly forward.

“Plagg? That’s an unusual name,” she said. “How’d you come up with that one?” She looked at him innocently. Adrien stared at her intensely before leaning back with a huff.

“Just came to me one day.”

“Hmm. Let’s play a few rounds, okay?” She handed him a controller.

An hour later, Adrien finally threw his hands up in the air. “Okay, you win.”

Marinette was laughing. “Victory is mine!” He couldn’t help but laugh with her.

“You’re ridiculous, you know that?” he teased.

“Don’t be a sore loser, Adrien,” she joked.

He put a hand to his chest. “You wound me,” he said dramatically. That was a Chat thing to say. He watched her out of the corner of his eye. She just rolled her eyes.

“Hey, did your dad give you that ring?” She was looking at the hand on his chest. He looked at it and then looked back at her. She was grinning, and in that moment he knew for sure. “Sorry, chaton.” She didn’t sound sorry. “Couldn’t resist watching you struggle all day.”

“That’s mean.” But his voice was breathless. He registered dimly that he was staring at her, but right now he couldn’t stop following her freckles across her face, imagining his lady in her mask, her blue eyes so deep that he thought he would drown in them. “My lady,” he murmured. She was smiling fondly at him.

“Ew.” Plagg was floating next to him, sticking his tongue out at Adrien.

“Plagg, I swear-” Adrien started.

“Plagg,” a stern voice interrupted, and Ladybug’s kwami appeared above Marinette’s shoulder.

“Tikki, be nice,” Marinette chided. “Hi again, Plagg.” Plagg stopped scowling and gave her a bright smile. Adrien felt betrayed.

“Why don’t you act like that with me?” he accused. Plagg ignored him in favor of the cheese on the platter.

“You’re the best, Marinette,” Plagg said through a mouthful of cheese. Tikki rolled her eyes but went over and grabbed a macaron.

“Adrien.” Marinette came over and held his hands in hers. He looked up at her, forgetting about Plagg. She leaned down and kissed him softly. His brain turned to mush and for a moment, his world only had her inside it. She pulled away and he made a soft sound. She looked amused, and he flushed. “Do you want to go on a date with me?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” he answered immediately. She was blushing now. She shyly looked away.

“We’ll have to figure things out. It isn’t that simple,” she said, her hands still enveloped in his. He brought her hand up and kissed her knuckles.

“We’ll make it work, my lady.” He squeezed her hands reassuringly. She squeezed back and sat down, not letting go of him, her eyes back on him. Suddenly, her eyes widened.

“Oh no! What are we going to tell Alya and Nino?”


End file.
